Best Friends
by literaryFRIVOLOUSneophyte
Summary: This story is made entirely of dialogue. It begins when two friends play a simple game, leading them to the discovery of Slender Man societies and unwanted stalkers. Please note that, after chapter three, the plot strays off a linear path. Rated T for nigh constant cussing.
1. Best Friends Play a Game

"What do condoms and coffins have in common?"  
"I don't want to know. So, whatever answer you had prepared, just forget about it."  
"This one's actually funny, though!"  
"No. The jokes you make are never funny - hey, can you go close the window? It's freezing in this goddamn apartment."  
"The game's about to start, though!"  
"I don't care. It's still loading, anyway. This piece of trash computer takes forever. Besides, you're just handling the flashlight. I can move around without you."  
"It looks like it's going to rain, soon. Do you think Professor Kazantsev will still make us finish the outdoor shoot?"  
"Well, it's not like tomorrow will be any better. Washington is like that, Aaron. All of Cornish can't wait for the rain to end. Kazantsev will probably think that the rain 'adds to the atmosphere,' anyway."  
"I'm still not used to all this rain. Is the sun afraid of Washington or something? That's what I've picked up."  
"California is hogging the sun right now. We just have to make do here - hey, it's finally loaded! Get back over here."  
"What are the controls again?"  
"Press A to slap yourself in the face, and press B to scream like a bitch."  
"Are there even A and B buttons on your keyboard?"  
"No, of course there isn't. I cn't type either of those letters, ecause, for some reson, my keyord just doesn't have the letters nd ."  
"Oh, I forgot that keyboards have letters on them."  
"I hope you're better at games than you are at life."  
"In all seriousness, what am I actually doing? You were too busy being an asshole to be helpful."  
"Whatever, dickhead. I already told you that you're handling the flashlight. I'm the one controlling her legs."  
"The main character is a girl? Wait...'controlling her legs?' Ooh la la, that sounds quite naughty, Ian!"  
"Shut the hell up, you immature asshole. Shit - we're playing now."  
"What? Are you sure this isn't some kind of intro?"  
"I can move around, dipshit; I'm pretty sure this is the actual game!"  
"Crap, this is one freaky forest...Hey, I have an idea! How about I go down to the store and get us some beers while you start out the game? I don't think the beginning is very significant..."  
"Sit the fuck back down, Aaron! We are playing this goddamn game, no matter how much of a pussy you are. Gabe played this game, and he managed to get through it without pussying out. So we can do this together, man. Gabe did it all alone, for Christ's sake!"  
"You're boyfriend isn't scared by shit, Ian. I swear, I am going to piss my pants if we see that Slender guy..."  
"Stop staring at the ground. We won't be able to find any pages staring at the fucking ground!"  
"Why would we need to find pages?"  
"The game just told us to! If you had been paying ANY ATTENTION...!"  
"...Why would we need to find pages?"  
"Goddammit, I don't know! Maybe they're clues. Maybe they're...I don't know, something important! Whatever the pages are for, we need to find them."  
"Oh, shit - it went dark! What the hell did you do?"  
"I didn't do anything! You turned off the fucking flashlight, dickwad!"  
"What? How did I - hey, what was that thing on those poles?"  
"Those wooden totem pole things? Which one?"  
"I don't know - just go back."  
"First page collected! I am so going to win this game for us."  
"I found the page!"  
"Well, I...I walked to it. That's a big deal."  
"Oh. you little bastard. Taking the credit for my skills, just like you do in Kazantsev's class. You wouldn't be anywhere in his class without _my_ acting skills in your projects."  
"You know what, Aaron? I think - fuck, what was that? What the hell was that?"  
"How can Slender be following us now? We just have one page! Run, Ian, run! Shit, fuck, fuck, fuck, run run run! God, stupid static lines!"  
"Shut up - I'm trying to run!"  
"RUN FASTER!"  
"Can't you hear her panting?! Wait, no - forget that. Don't make whatever sick joke you have in mind."  
"Man, I had the BEST joke ever prepared. You're such a party-pooper."  
"Stop looking at the sky, Aaron, and stare into the forest like a man."  
"But the sky gets no love, Ian. No love."  
"I don't fucking care. Let's just get the rest of these pages so I can brag to Gabe."  
"Will you tell him that I helped you win it?"  
"Hell no."  
"Oops, it seems as though the flashlight turned off all on it's own! Silly me! What's that? Is Slender following us?"  
"TURN THE FLASHLIGHT BACK ON OR I'LL-"  
"Oh, Slender Man is actually following us now! Can you hear the static, Ian?"  
"Fuck you, Aaron!"  
"Hey, let go of the mouse! ...Aw, man, you ruin everything."  
"Oh, you hypocrite. Just look at how things went between you and Naomi! Now _that's_ an example of ruining everything!"  
"...No, man. Just...just no. Don't bring up Naomi."  
"Crap, Aaron, I'm sorry. I just...got into the argument, that's all. I didn't mean-"  
"Just shut up, okay? We have seven more pages to get and I don't think all this talking is helping us find them."  
"Aaron-"  
"Shut up and play."  
"...Alright."  
"Don't walk towards that tunnel over there. He'll be in it."  
"What if there's a page in there?"  
"We'll die."  
"I can get the page, real fast-"  
"I don't want to go into the tunnel."  
"Okay, okay. How about we go back to those tanks we saw earlier?"  
"You're the one controlling her legs."  
"...What is the difference between a condom and a coconut?"  
"Why?"  
"I never got to hear the punch line. It's probably worse than I expect."  
"...It wasn't a coconut. It was a coffin."  
"Oh. Then, what's the difference between a condom and a coffin?"  
"They both hold stiffs, but one is coming. The other is going."  
"God, that is just so sick. Heh."  
"Yeah, it's not that good."  
"No, it's pretty good. Not as bad as the other ones you've told me."  
"...I don't think we're going to find anything near these tank things."  
"I want to go back to the tunnel."  
"No, man, I don't want to go there!"  
"You can go get beers while I go in the tunnel."  
"You want me to go to the store right now?"  
"No, there's beers in the fridge already."  
"Turn the sound off or something."  
"Static isn't that scary."  
"Dude, I don't want to know if that fucking Slender guy is there. He creeps me the fuck out."  
"Is teeny-weeny Aaron scared of a man in a suit?"  
"Aw, fuck you, Ian. He has no face, okay? And, did you see his arms before?"  
"Yeah, he's probably really good at basketball."  
"Heh, yeah."  
"Fuck, this tunnel is freaky as shit. Are you seeing this?"  
"Nope, too busy shitting my pants. Think, Aaron, think - beer, beer, beer, beer. Goddammit, I really need a beer."  
"I see a page! Okay, okay, okay, just going to sneak on in here - fuck, no, he's at the end!"  
"Run out!"  
"No, I am getting that fucking page no matter what! Run, bitch, run! Grab that stupid fucking page!"  
"Heh, it says you 'can't run!' "  
"MOTHERFUCKER, WHY ISN'T SHE GRABBING THE PAGE?"  
"She is distracted by the cold bottle of beer I am happily drinking."  
"SHIT-LICKING GNOMES, GRAB IT AND RUN, RUN, RUN - GAH!"  
"Did...did you say something about gnomes in there?"  
"I GOT IT! I GOT THE SECOND PAPER! FUCK YEAH!"  
"Want your beer now?"  
"Give me that goddamn bottle."  
"Jeez, dude, slow down!"  
"No! This is a victory chug!"  
"It was just one page...Hey, are you even paying attention to the game anymore?"  
"No, too busy - wait, why do you ask?"  
"Because now we're just standing still. With Slender behind us."  
"Oh, shit! Take the mouse; we're getting out of here."  
"Where will we go?"  
"Let's go to that building. We can find a nice corner to hide in for a while."  
"I still don't trust that building."  
"It's probably just a bathroom. We can go in the one of the stalls."  
"Since the main character is a girl, does that mean we get to go in the girls' bathroom?"  
"I don't think it matters, since nobody is fucking here at this time of night. Does the time not change in this game?"  
"Maybe Slender can freeze time...?"  
"That's a ridiculous idea."  
"Hey, it's a possibility!"  
"I don't see any stalls in here. It's just hallways..."  
"No, get out of here. This is probably his...lair, or something. All those corners, placed exactly so he can be waiting to jump at you-"  
"FUCK! STATIC, FUCK, STATIC!"  
"Oh, crap, I see him!"  
"Stop swiveling the view around! I can't run straight!"  
"Where's the exit?"  
"I don't know, I don't know! I can't lose these pages now, goddammit! I worked so hard for them!"  
"HE'S THERE AGAIN, RIGHT THERE!"  
"I CAN SEE HIM, DOUCEHBAG! I CAN'T - I CAN'T-"  
"Do we have any weapons?!"  
"LIKE I FUCKING KNOW!"  
"Why are you running at him?!"  
"I'M TRYING TO RUN AWAY BUT YOUR SCREAMING IS DISTRACTING ME!"  
"YOU'RE THE ONE SCREAMING!"  
"NO, GIRL, DON'T GET CAUGHT! DON'T YOU DARE DIE! I SWEAR, I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DIE!"  
"RUN AWAY!"  
"THE DAMN GIRL KEEPS GETTING TIRED! AND STOP POINTING AT THE SKY, I KEEP RUNNING INTO TREES BECAUSE OF YOU - NO, FUCK, DON'T GIVE ME A HUG, SLENDER! I DON'T WANT A FUCKING - HRRRRRRG!"  
"That was so sexual sounding. You don't even know."  
"NO! NO! NO! HOW COULD SHE GET CAUGHT ON ME LIKE THAT? I HAD SO MANY PAGES!"  
"We only had two, Ian. Two pages."  
"Didn't we find a third one?"  
"No."  
"FUCK!"  
"...You want another beer?"  
"Yeah, I need it. I'm done with this game. DONE!"  
"I thought you wanted to win for Gabe, hm?"  
"No, no, I am not going to play that game again!"  
"Are you scared?"  
"Of course not! I just...don't want to set myself up for disappointment, that's all."  
"Gabe will be disappointed."  
"Fine, we can play it tomorrow! But...but I have homework now, and a beer to drink. So this game is going to slip from my mind right now until I decide to be an imbecile and play it again."  
"Good, good. So...tomorrow, then?"  
"...Fine. Whatever."


	2. Best Friends Lose a Game

OCTOBER 27, 2010  
BELLEVUE POLICE DEPARTMENT  
INTERVIEW OF IAN KLONSKY  
"The last time I saw Aaron was October 18, 2010. At the college we go to together - Cornish, up in Seattle. We only have one class together...Professor Kazantsev's class. I see him that class and maybe afterward every day.  
"We used to share an apartment together, so I would see him all the time. Then...then he moved out to live with this girl, Naomi, but...they don't date anymore.  
"She...she was cheating on him with some guy named...I don't know. Sir, is this relevant to the case? She wasn't threatening him or anything, although Aaron and that other guy were real mad at each other. I think he might have been...some guy named Anthony, maybe. But he hasn't heard from Anthony since.  
"Anyway, I saw him that day in Kazantsev's class, but I didn't see him after school. We were going to meet up later on, plan a...No, he wasn't going to come over that day. Gabe and I - the guy I live with now - were going to go out that day. But we...we didn't. I was too busy...worrying about...I was thinking about...Anyway, I was going to call my doctors, talk to them about the...  
"Aaron and I were going to...film. Film around the park - the ones near Phantom Lake and Tillicum Middle School. For...for Kazantsev's class. Aaron and I were...going to film for a...project. And we were still debating the time...he didn't agree with my time. I wanted to go during night, in order to...catch the atmosphere...of the film project. Kazantsev always talks about the mood and setting of films. Aaron wanted to just...edit what we took later on, make it look like nighttime. He didn't want to walk around the woods at night.  
"He didn't call me after school, and I didn't try to contact him because...well, I figured he would just call tomorrow. He said that he didn't want to go with me to the park and film if I was going to go at night. He might have gone himself during the daytime. If he went during the day, he should have been safe...I mean, not that...not that he had any reason not to be safe when going out to film in the park.  
"Now that you ask about it, there was...one peculiar thing about Aaron before he went...missing. There was...a man. A man was following us. We didn't report him because...no one would really believe us. It wasn't just that he was following us; it was...It's hard to explain. Aaron was getting really paranoid because of it...that's why he didn't want to go to the park at nighttime.  
"Can we...not talk about the man, please? I just...I don't want to...  
"Both of us were getting kind of freaked out by it. It started three months ago; I don't remember specifically. I do remember that Aaron and I had shared some drinks in my apartment after playing this horror game...some online game called Slender, not that special...and then, when Aaron was going out to his car...  
"I don't remember exactly when we noticed the man. I figured, at first, that we were just drunk and...The man never...never attacked us, I think. Aaron claimed he was assaulted once by...by the man, but he refused to go the police. To you guys. He never really trusted the law; he claimed 'he was his own law.' And yes, this was after our...first experience with the man.  
"No, there weren't any marks or bruises on Aaron when he told he was attacked by the...man. There was something, though...something in his eyes.  
"Fear. It was fear. Cold, hard fear. It was...disturbing, to say the least. I mean...f-fuck, I can't even think about this right now. My doctors told me not to focus on stressful things; this shit is NOT good for me now...  
"I can't give you an exact description of the man. He dresses...like he's attending a funeral. He's...tall. Very tall. Taller than Kazantsev! And that Russian is at least seven feet tall!  
"This is why we never told the police. We can't describe him. We don't know who he is.  
"It's like he never even had a face."


	3. Best Friends End a Game

"Ian...What happened out there?"  
"What are you talking about, Gabe?"  
"When you went out to the park with Aaron. What happened out there? You've been lying to the police, and I've been going along with it. I want to know why you've been lying."  
"I...I haven't been lying-"  
"Yes, you have! You told the police you let Aaron go to the park alone to film. I know you went with him! You spent all night out there, and, then, when you returned him-"  
"Where did this all come from?!"  
"I can't take it anymore, Ian! I can't take...I see him now, too. I see that man. I just...I know something happened out there. Did you - did you see him? You saw him, didn't you? Did he take Aaron-"  
"Shut up! You have no fucking clue about _him_!"  
"Don't tell me to shut up, you bastard! _He's_ always there...always with me. I can't go to work, can't sleep, can't even take a single goddamn nap without HIM being there, in my head, in my room...Don't tell me that I don't know about Slender Man!"  
"DON'T SAY HIS NAME!"  
"Why? Will he come out and kill us like he killed Aaron!"  
"He didn't kill Aaron! He...he doesn't _kill_."  
"What, then, did you kill Aaron?"  
"What the hell kind of accusation is that?!"  
"What did you do to Aaron?! Tell me, Ian! Did you kill Aaron out there? Did you bring Aaron out to that park and-"  
"You piece of shit, how dare you accuse me of _murder_? Aaron was my best fucking friend, and I've been looking everywhere for him-"  
"Everywhere, as in taking little midnight strolls around the park? What the hell does that do? I...I don't want you to go missing too, Ian! What do you expect to find out there in Phantom Lake? Aaron's body? Slender Ma-"  
"I SAID, don't say his goddamn name!"  
"Don't yell at me!"  
"GABE, I - I...why are we doing this, Gabe? Why are we arguing like this again?"  
"I don't...I don't know, Ian. He wants us to. He wants...he wants us like this. Angry. Hateful. It makes us into easier targets."  
"Well...let's stop, okay? I don't want to be mad at you. I don't want...I don't want you to be mad at me, either. Aaron's missing, Naomi's been snooping around, Kazantsev's weird-ing out...no more stress."  
"Okay...I'm sorry about pressuring you to tell me all this. I shouldn't be so...so insensitive."  
"It's okay; I'm sorry, too."  
"No more fighting, then. Glad that's settled! And...Ian - Aaron will probably pop up somewhere. You know, when...when that man gets to you, and you disappear sometimes...Aaron will probably just show up at his apartment with a bloody nose and no memory, but...completely fine, just unsettled."  
"Yeah, you're probably right...I love you."  
"Love you, too."

"Ian, what are you doing?  
What do you mean, going to the park? It's like 1:00 in the morning! You have class tomorrow! Get back to bed.  
I thought you didn't like saying his name. What about Slender Man?  
...Ian, you're acting pretty fucking weird. You're just being an immature asshole right now! Just get back in bed and forget about all this. Aaron's not going to be wandering around in the middle of the fucking night, waiting to be found.  
Are you drunk? You're acting like you're drunk.  
I thought you said we weren't going to fight anymore!  
Listen, I don't have time for this. The shop opens up pretty early, and I can't be late again. Burns would fire me on the spot.  
What the hell is wrong with you, Ian? You keep saying that...Wait, what was that? October 18? Wasn't that the day Aaron disappeared?  
Ian..put that down, Ian! What are you going to do, kill me?  
F-fuck, I see him! He's in the hallway! Slender - he's in the hallwa-  
For God's sake, Ian, put the knife down and run-  
What are you doing? Get the fuck away with that-"


	4. Best Friends Learn a Game

Message 0 (found in Aaron's apartment after his disappearance, time received unknown):  
"You should read the manual before playing a game.  
You don't know the rules.  
You haven't followed the rules."

Message 1 (left on Aaron's phone):  
"Don't plan on playing tomorrow."

Message 2 (left in Aaron's E-mail):  
"[picture of a note from the game Slender] You didn't collect them all.  
You didn't read the rules."

Message 3 (left scribbled on Ian's door):  
"[torn pictures of notes from the game Slender] Broken rules and broken bones.  
Drink away your life but don't forget you're still playing the game."

Message 4 (left drawn on the floor in Mr. Burns' shop):  
"A NEW PLAYER HAS BEEN INTRODUCED hello Gabe."

Message 5 (given to Ian by Kazantsev):  
"BROKEN THE RULES. PENATLY DUE.  
Just a game."

Message 6 (tucked underneath a windowsill in Anthony's apartment):  
"Just a game.  
Did you stop playing or did you blink?"

Message 7 (on a canvas in Naomi's studio):  
"Can't forget the rules. Just a game. Keep playing. There might be a prize in the end.  
Keep playing. KEEP PLAYING."

Message 8 (spray-painted on Bellevue Police Department):  
"FOLLOW THE TRAIL FOLLOW THE TRAIL FOLLOW THIS TRAIL AND DROWN FOLLOW THE TRAIL FOLLOW THE TRAIL FOLLOW THIS TRAIL FOLLOW THE TRIAL."

Message 9 (spray-painted on Tillicum Middle School):  
"When the children played games.  
When the children grew up and blinked."

Message 10 (article excerpt taken from newspaper):  
"Ten children were found today near Phantom Lake. Their parents back home in...had been searching for their children for ten weeks until they turned up in Bellevue...arrows signs on their clothing, painted on with white...Mathew, age 6...Terrain, age 7...John, age 8...Grant, age 9...Dexter, age 10...Aaron, age 11...Ian, age 12...Gabriel, age 13...Anthony, age 14...one of the boys was the exchange student Rupert (fifteen years old) from Russia, whose parents commented...The oldest and youngest boys had the word 'CLUES' painted on their foreheads...No child had a clue as to what had happened to them and why they had gone missing. They didn't even seem to recognize reality until the detective Morganson discovered them at Phantom Lake."  
A picture of the children, lined up from youngest to eldest, is included in the article. Each do, indeed, have white arrow signs pointed on them. The directions trail upwards from the tallest to the shortest, the two on each end sporting the word "CLUES" on their foreheads. All of them look quite tired; every boy is wearing a suit too big for their height.

MESSAGE 11 (on a note stuck to the knife used to kill Gabe):  
"Left this here for you, Rupert. Find your students before I win the game."

MESSAGE 12 (in Naomi's car):  
"Running away won't help because I DON'T HAVE TO RUN TO BE THERE.  
Keep playing. Just a game. Don't win."

MESSAGE 13 (in Anthony's parent's house on their T.V.):  
"You didn't even get that far before I WON THE GAME."

MESSAGE 14 (on Anthony's parent's graves):  
"Not even players.  
Keep playing. Don't win."

MESSAGE 15 (scrawled on a newspaper about the discovery of Aaron's body in Phantom Lake left in Detective Morganson's house):  
"Wearing clothes fit for a funeral.  
Didn't drown the children but the directions to were all there.  
FOLLOW THIS TRAIL."

MESSAGE 16 (on Detective Morganson's phone):  
"And the game – HUNT – has started once more. It never ended.  
You blinked you blinked you blinked I DON'T EVEN NEEDS EYES TO WATCH YOU BREAKING THE RULES."

MESSAGE 17 (on Naomi's phone):  
"When things go wrong, have you always left?  
Aaron -  
Anthony -  
Parents -  
friends -  
-now to a boy playing detective and you still suspect it all to be a dream."

MESSAGE 18 (on the intercom in Tillicum Middle School):  
"[various static noises and a scream] WHY ISN'T SHE GRABBING THE PAGE? GRAB IT AND RUN, RUN, RUN -"

MESSAGE 19 (on a note tucked inside the mouth of Anthony as he swung from his neck in his closet, wearing a wrinkled suit):

MESSAGE 20 (on an unspecific Cornish classroom door):  
"Through the lost lake will the lost men swim. What was once a smile with drown into a frown at his student's penalties."

MESSAGE 21 (left on your computer):  
"Pass it along. Keep playing. The game doesn't end here."


End file.
